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Representative Sheldon outlines bill to steer renewable siting toward already‑developed sites and adopt Vermont conservation design
Summary
Representative Amy Sheldon introduced H.8394 to encourage renewable installations on already developed lands, incorporate Vermont Conservation Design into enhanced energy planning, and create a public energy advocate; she also suggested considering a 5 MW cap for solar fields above which public concern tends to rise.
Representative Amy Sheldon presented H.8394 to the committee, a broader siting and planning bill that seeks to steer renewable energy development onto already developed rooftops, adjacent built parcels and backyard sites and to protect forests and working lands from avoidable development.
Sheldon described the bill’s chief elements: integrating Vermont Conservation Design into enhanced municipal and regional energy planning, removing barriers that limit adjacent renewable developments, adding a public energy advocate position modeled after Massachusetts, and setting clearer timelines for certificates of public good (CPG) under the 3–5 MW scale. “The goal here is to continue or enhance how we promote development of renewables on already developed sites, including rooftops, backyard, and adjacent to already developed renewable energy sites so that we are putting less stress on the forest and working lands,” Sheldon told the committee.
Sheldon urged committee members to familiarize themselves with Vermont Conservation Design, a framework from the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department that maps intact habitat and guides conservation, calling it “foundational” to siting discussions. The bill would require municipalities’ enhanced energy plans — which receive substantial deference in siting decisions — to take Vermont Conservation Design into consideration.
On siting limits, Sheldon said she is exploring a potential cap on individual solar fields “over 5 megawatts,” citing public concern when projects rise well above that size. She described 5 MW as a scale many Vermonters find less “shocking and out of scale” than larger solar farms.
Other elements include stronger emphasis on using developed land first, procedural changes to permit faster local approvals for appropriately sited projects, and the creation of a public energy advocate to assist small developers and citizens through siting and regulatory processes.
Sheldon said stakeholders involved in drafting the bill included Renewable Energy Vermont, Conservation Law Foundation and The Nature Conservancy; she asked members to consult with the Department of Fish and Wildlife and siting experts. Committee members responded positively to the concept and noted the timing aligned with parallel hearings on residential net metering (S.50).
Ending: Representative Sheldon asked the committee to schedule stakeholder testimony and detailed technical review so the bill’s conservation and siting criteria can be refined ahead of any committee vote.
